3 ms·
> he wanted the devices to be appliances you sell when you're done with, and buy a new one Appliances used to be repairable. People kept things like ovens, fri
by jadell 7y ago
> he wanted the devices to be appliances you sell when you're done with, and buy a new one
Appliances used to be repairable. People kept things like ovens, fridges and washing machines for decades, repairing them when needed. Companies long before Apple started the "planned obsolescence" treadmill for appliances, but companies like Apple sure didn't help. It's arguable they made the situation worse, because a lot of the components in tech are more damaging to the environment to extract, process, and throw away than many of the components in household appliances.
- delish 7y agoThanks--maybe I'm misquoting Steve Jobs. He meant that you-the-end-user weren't supposed to open it up. If they were repaired, he wanted them repaired by professionals. Unfortunately I don't have the quote in front of me. And my point is: The article says it's about Jony Ive, but he's a metonymy for iFixit's bete noir: Apple. (I'm not saying iFixit is wrong!)
- jadell 7y agoChanging the battery in a phone isn't a job that needs to be done by professionals. Normal people do it with their other battery-powered devices all the time. The only reason to make it any other way is so you can make more money off of people who've already paid for your product, or to upsell people on getting a new phone for only a small increase over the price you would charge them to change the battery. There's no other motive here besides greed.
- Tempest1981 7y agoI wouldn't say "the only reason". A sealed case can help with waterproofing, strength, and of course thinness. You can now have BestBuy replace your battery for $49, which isn't too terrible. Other shops charge $39.
- blub 7y agoBesides what a sibling commenter mentioned about batteries, some Apple products can't even be repaired by the professionals at Apple themselves any more: the MBP screen has to be swapped if a tiny cable breaks. These kinds of decisions have no excuse.
- Waterluvian 7y agoYou still can do that with appliances if you don't go buy the ones with stupid amounts of unnecessary features. My dryer bought three years ago has zero electronics. It's all serviceable electro mechanical components. Six months ago I replaced the heating coil in about half an hour. Same with my oven: no electronics, all buyable parts usually from China.